In the United States, millions are affected by back pain. Most patients respond well to non-surgical treatments. However, many others are required to find other solutions to alleviate the pain. If the back pain persists and in addition, other symptoms such as arm pain and neurological dysfunction occur, the cause may be related to any number of problems associated with the vertebral column. Surgery is an option for those that require stabilization of the spine. To alleviate the symptoms and overcome the problems, a surgeon may utilize various devices to correct the structural integrity of the vertebrae. For instance a surgeon may align the vertebrae using a posterior rod construct. In this type of system, a surgeon places anchoring devices such as screws and/or hooks that are capable of receiving elongated rods on either side of the vertebrae covering at least one level in length. Since each rod is fixed to the vertebrae, the rod construct provides structural integrity. Thus, when a posterior dual rod construct is used to stabilize the human spine, it is often necessary to connect the elongated rods to further increase the stability of the overall construct. To connect the elongated rods to provide additional stability, surgeons typically use a horizontal transverse connector. In the prior art, transverse connectors generally utilize a mechanism wherein the elongated rods and the transverse rods are fastened separately. These types of systems also generally sacrifice adjustability or stability.
For instance, in one type of system, a set screw is used to lock the transverse connector to the elongated rod and then another set screw is used to lock the position of the transverse rod. In other words, the elongated rod is fastened and then the transverse rod fastened. In this type of system, simplicity is sacrificed since two separate locking mechanisms are utilized.
In another type of transverse connection, a hook system is used. This type of system generally fastens the transverse connector to the elongated rods using a hook type arm, however this type of system does not provide a means for allowing the transverse rod to be moved laterally and positioned in any angle along the horizontal axis. In other words, the transverse rod must be the exact size required prior to positioning the transverse connector. Thus, there is a need for a transverse connector that provides a locking mechanism that is capable of locking the transverse connector to the elongated rods and the transverse rod without sacrificing either adjustability or the stability of the posterior rod construct. There is also a need for a T-connector that provides surgeons with a locking mechanism that is easy to use and which requires very little time to execute in locking both the elongated and transverse rods.